A Spark of Friendship
by That Creative One
Summary: Late one night, Enjolras meets a poor, starving gamine and takes her in, and he feels the start of a new friendship beginning. (It's got a bit of French in it, but nothing big.)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

A tall, slender blonde man walked down the streets of Paris, holding a stack of papers. Adrian Enjolras was the leader of the Les Amis de l'ABC, a group of students who hoped to change France for the better and help the poor starving people of Paris. Enjolras was currently handing out papers to possible supporters to join the meetings in the small Café Musain, where the revolutionaries held rallies.

The night was dark and cold, and Enjolras was considering turning around now if he wanted to get back before the sky turned black. Handing out the last few of his papers, Enjolras began heading back the way he came.

As he walked along, he didn't try to tune out the sound of the streets; young children crying, women and young girls attempting to sell their bodies for a mere franc, the sounds of illness and starvation and poverty all around him. Instead, he embraced the sounds and tried to figure out a way to help these people.

One particular sight caught his eye. A rich, wealthy-looking young man was stalking a young girl, who looked near 13. As Enjolras walked past, he heard the man pelting the young girl with insults.

The girl was obviously a gamine. She was dirty, both her skin and the tattered green dress she wore, which looked too tight around the arms. The hem was ragged, and the fact it was a size too small emphasized her unnaturally tiny waist. Her body spoke of hunger and of poverty, from her small, bony frame to the hollow look in her eyes. The gamine's dirty brown hair was a fourth of the way down her back, and looked as it had been last cut with a knife.

"You little slut, you _pute_," the man snarled, though the gamine didn't turn around. Sneering, the young man picked up a rock and pelted it at the girl's head.

"Stop!" Enjolras shouted, unable to take the scene any longer. The girl cried out in pain as the rock struck her directly in the back of the head. Enjolras saw the girl stumble against the wall of a nearby building and gently touch the back of her head. Her hand came away bloody.

"Standing up for the street rat? That _vermine_ is worth nothing," The man sneered pompously. The girl backed into the wall, obviously unsure of what to do.

Stepping close so only the man could hear him, Enjolras hissed, "Leave before I call police,"

The man backed away, but not before throwing another stone at the gamine. Enjolras lunged at the man, who hurried away.

Enjolras turned to the gamine, whose arms automatically came up and covered her face and head. Enjolras was confused for a moment before he realized the girl thought he was going to hit her.

"Mademoiselle," Enjolras said gently, taking a step towards the gamine. Her hands dropped uncertainly, but she kept them near her ribcage, obviously ready to come back up to defend her face. Enjolras would never hit a girl. He just hoped she would understand that from the way he, well, wasn't hitting her.

The girl's eyes flitted nervously from side to side, and she shifted uncomfortably. Several onlookers were watching them with a close eye. "Monsieur, you should leave. The streets are dangerous here," the gamine said.

"In that case, you should come with me. My apartment is warm and you look like you could use some food," Enjolras tried not to sound demeaning or- well, _inappropriate_.

The girl smiled bitterly, and said, "I have been walking these streets for many years. I know how to get around here." Her voice then dropped so low Enjolras could barely hear her mutter, mainly to herself, "After all, I'm just a street rat."

"No, you're more than that." Enjolras said, extending his hand for her to take, "What is your name, Mademoiselle?"

"Camille," the gamine said shyly. Enjolras frowned a bit, because in French, 'Camille' meant 'servant girl'.

The girl eyed his extended hand, seeing it as more than a hand. A chance, an opportunity. She took it in her own, and Enjolras smiled.

"Come with me, Mademoiselle," Enjolras said, and lead the girl to his home.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Enjolras and Camille only made it about halfway to Enjolras's apartment before the girl collapsed. Enjolras had partially been expecting it- up close; the gamine looked dead on her feet. Enjolras had purposely kept a firm yet gentle grip on her hand and caught her before she reached the pavement. Scooping her up bridal style, Enjolras carried the girl to his apartment, which wasn't hard, as the starving girl weight nothing.

Fiddling with the doorknob for a bit, Enjolras finally managed to get the door open. Walking into his bedroom and lying Camille down, Enjolras grabbed his phone and texted Joly to come over ASAP, and to bring his medical supplies. He really wanted to check out the wound on the back of her head, but it was clear she needed rest.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he watched Camille's skinny stomach rise and fall in rhythm to her breathing. Enjolras barely knew the girl, but he felt a strange, protective-like feeling around this girl. Like a younger-sister/older-brother feeling. Enjolras imagined this was what it was like to be Combeferre.

Soon, Enjolras heard the soft click of his door opening and closing. Joly walked into the bedroom with his medical bag. His eyes widened and he raised his eyebrows in question when he saw the gamine in his bed, but Enjolras motioned for him to be quiet, and led him out of the room so Camille could sleep.

Once they were safely out of hearing range in the kitchen, Joly asked, "I think we should skip hello and go directly to why you have a gamine in your bed."

Quietly, Enjolras repeated the day's events to Joly, who frowned when he mentioned the rock part. Nodding quietly, Joly asked, "What's her name?"

"Camille."

"Servant girl?" Joly looked at Enjolras quizzically.

Enjolras wanted to make a sarcastic comment to Joly, partially out of defense for Camille. Why was Joly making a big deal out of her name? Why was _he_ making a big deal over her name?

But instead, he said, "I think…actually, this is just a random guess, but I think it might have something to do with her past. You know she's a gamine, and she said she had been on the streets a while. She called herself a street rat." Joly nodded, seeming to follow his train of thought.

Silently walking back into Enjolras's room, Joly frowned at Camille's pallor. Enjolras walked over to where Camille was sleeping, and gently brushed her arm with his hand. She looked so calm asleep that Enjolras felt mean to wake her. "Camille," he said softly.

The girl sat up, and Enjolras saw the pillow her head had been on was bloody. That was not a good sign.

"Camille, this is my friend Joly. He's a medical student, and he's going to check you over." Enjolras said gently with what he hoped was a friendly tone.

Camille nodded, and Joly walked over to her. Taking out some of his tools out, Joly asked if she could turn around so he could look at her head wound. Camille nodded and turned around.

The wound was worse than they had expected. The wound itself was a circle-shaped area about the size of a fist. The hair around it was matted down with blood. When Joly pulled the hair away from the wound, they saw the majority of the skin in the wound was bruised and swollen-looking. There were several small splotches where the skin was bruised so badly it had split, making several cuts. The man had obviously pelted the rock harder than Enjolras had originally thought.

"I'm going to have to cut away some of the hair from this area. Just a little, so I can clean the wound and suture it if I need to. Is that okay?" Joly asked her. Camille nodded again.

Taking a pair of surgical scissors, Joly cut away a few small locks of blood coated hair. All in all, you couldn't really tell the difference. Dropping the hair in a wastebasket, Joly examined the wound a little more closely.

"Well, nothing seems to be lodged in there and it doesn't seem infected. I'll have to clean it, though, and that's going to sting a bit," Joly said, taking out some gauze and hydrogen peroxide. Dampening the gauze with the peroxide, Joly ever-so-gently began to clean the wound. Camille bit her lip and Enjolras could see tears fill her eyes. But she said nothing.

"Hmm…actually, none of the cuts need sutures. That's good, so now I'll just bandage it." Joly said, taking out a roll of bandages. Placing a small pad over the wound, Joly taped around the bandage with surgical tape in the areas where he had cut away the hair. Camille quietly thanked Joly, who smiled and left.

"Do you want to go back to sleep?" Enjolras asked, eager to make Camille feel at home. She shrugged.

"You don't say much, do you?" Enjolras asked, smiling ever-so-gently.

Camille smiled bitterly and said, "When I was raised, I was taught I was only to speak if spoken to. Otherwise I was to remain silent. If I spoke, I would be punished."

Enjolras was filled with anger that someone would be treated like that. Camille was a human; she had the rights the same as the rest of them! In a controlled voice, Enjolras asked, "Punished how?" His eyes drifted up her skinny frame, and he realized she had several bruises on her arms and neck.

Camille followed his line of sight, and her eyes filled with sadness. In a barely audible voice, she asked, "Could I please go back to sleep? I'm really tired," Enjolras saw her arms and back tense, as if she was waiting to run. Enjolras sighed internally when he recognized that she was thinking her was going to strike her.

"Of course. I'll be working in the front room, just tell me if you need anything." Enjolras said standing up. He resisted the urge to kiss her on the forehead, like tucking a child into bed.

Camille stared at her hands and smiled a ghost of a smile. She quietly thanked him, and lay down with her back facing him.

Enjolras left the room, still pondering why she thought he was going to hit her. Years on the street must have engrained into her that if she spoke back- or spoke up- to a man, she would be hit. Camille was only 13 or so, though he had yet to ask her. How much could she have been through?

_More than you think_, a voice at the back of Enjolras's head said. He sighed and got working on his next speech.

END

Got that one out! I hope you people like this chapter, I tried to incorporate a bit more of the whole living-on-the-streets thing into the story. I'm thinking of incorporating Eponine into this story, what do you think? And by the way, Eponine will no long have an accent mark over it; it simply takes too long to add the accent mark. Please review, and thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Enjolras only knew he fell asleep from the fact that he woke up on top of his laptop. He sat up and stretched. He stood and went into the kitchen, and was pondering on breakfast when Camille walked in.

She walked in silently and sat down-silently- and Enjolras didn't see her at first, so when he turned around, he jumped about a foot in the air when he saw Camille. Clutching his hand to his pounding heart, Enjolras said, "Camille! Oh, you scared me,"

A small, sleepy smile emerged on Camille's face, and Enjolras gave himself a mental pat on the back. He really wanted to urge Camille out of her shell and teach her to trust people.

"Good morning to you as well, Monsieur." Camille said, and her shoulders shifted slightly, making an easier exit for her if she had to run. Enjolras sighed and said,

"Please, call me Enjolras." He then added, in a slightly quieter voice, "Camille, you don't have to be afraid of me. I would never hit you."

Camille blushed and stared down at her hands. Enjolras almost didn't hear her say, "Promise?"

Enjolras smiled, and said, "Of course. I promise," Camille looked up at him and smiled.

"So, any ideas for breakfast? And I warn you, I am no cook," Enjolras said. Camille shrugged lightly.

"You know if you're going to stay, you'll have to talk to me at some point," Enjolras joked, earning himself a smile from Camille.

"Actually, on second thought, I've got an idea. I'm going to take you to the Café Musain, so you can meet my friends," Enjolras said, and Camille smiled broadly and nodded.

It was a short walk, and along the way Enjolras explained to her about the Les Amis de l'ABC and about the revolution. Camille nodded and had a thoughtful expression on her face.

When they arrived, most of the Amis were already chatting about in the upper level of the Café. Camille was about to be introduced when her eyes widened and locked on a single person in the café.

"_Eponine_?!" Camille all but screamed. She took off towards Eponine, who was having coffee in a corner with Grantaire. Eponine's face took on a similar expression of shock, and she automatically embraced the gamine.

"Cam! Where have you _been_?" Eponine gasped as they hugged. When they finally released each other, they saw several strange looks aimed at them.

Eponine stood up, with her arm around Camille's shoulders. "Everyone, this is my friend Camille- but I call her Cam. We've known each other for years." She said, hugging Camille a bit tighter when she said the last part. Camille- Cam- smiled.

Everyone introduced themselves, and soon Cam was chatting with everyone. Eponine's presence had somehow pulled Cam out of her shell, and Enjolras was amazing by what a humorous, talkative girl she was when she wasn't worried about someone striking her.

While Cam was chatting with Jehan and Courfeyrac, Enjolras pulled Eponine aside and explained about the last two days, leaving out the rock part. Cam was having such a good time and Enjolras didn't want Mother Eponine to be unleashed over her.

Everything went smoothly until Cam turned away from Eponine, and Eponine saw the back of her bandaged head. "_Camille, what happened to your __head_?" Eponine exclaimed. Cam went red and opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Eponine had tugged Enjolras into an empty corner.

"You've got some explaining to do," Eponine hissed. Enjolras was internally shaking. A defensive Eponine could scare anyone out of their pants. "Why is my best friend's head _bandaged_?"

"Best friend? Eponine, I am offended," Enjolras joked, trying to calm her down before she did something drastic, to no effect.

"You _know _what I mean, she's practically a sister to me," Eponine glared at the blonde, hurrying along his explanation.

"Well, she kind of got hit in the back of the head with a rock- IhadJolytakealookatitandhefixeditandnowit'shealing isn'tthatnice?" Enjolras said quickly, seeing Eponine's enraged glare.

"SHE WHAT?" Eponine shouted, her hands making fists. Enjolras sprinted over to Cam, grabbed her hand albeit her confused face, and hurried her out before Eponine could kill him.

END

Ah, what a nice chapter ;) This one was mainly to increase the bond between Enjolras and Cam, because next chapter there is going to be a BIG change in that. But you'll just have to wait ;) Please review, and thank you for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

A confused Camille asked Enjolras why they had taken off so suddenly. Just as Enjolras had been about to answer, Eponine's angry shouting accompanied by pounding on Enjolras's door answered her question for her. Laughing, Camille had explained everything to Eponine, who apologized and forgave Enjolras. Since Enjolras had no classes that day, or the next for a matter of fact, the two had continued on their day.

That was hours ago, now Cam was asleep on the couch as Enjolras typed up a paper on the French Monarchy that wasn't due for another 6 days. However, Enjolras was having a hard time typing as his mind kept persistently drifting off to Cam's bruised body.

Over the past couple of days, Enjolras had made sure Cam was eating, and he could already see the effects of proper nourishment taking their place. Her hair wasn't as dull, and she was now more than just skin and bones, but still far too thin for Enjolras's liking. All in all, Cam was doing very well. She was learning to trust Enjolras.

However, the one thing that kept worrying Enjolras were the bruises on Cam's arms and neck. His mind kept running through worst-case scenarios. He knew Eponine was often abused by her father and taken advantage of by her father's gang. Enjolras wondered if Cam had gone through something similar.

Finally unable to work anymore, Enjolras powered down his laptop and silently walked over to Cam's sleeping body. He stared at her for a moment; she looked so calm when she slept. Seeing one bruise that stood out on her upper arm, Enjolras leaned over her a bit to see it better.

There was something vaguely familiar about the circular shape of the bruise, and Enjolras had to think a bit before he was able to place it.

Making a fist, Enjolras placed his hand almost directly over the bruise. Yes, it was a very close match. The bruise was made by someone hitting Cam. Raising his arm a bit, Enjolras was flooded with anger as he thought of what else she might have gone through in her short life.

Suddenly, Cam's eyes shot open. Enjolras watched as in a split second, her eyes dilated with fear as she took in his fist raised over her body. Letting out a terrifying scream, Cam scrambled from the couch, tripping over her own feet in the process. Enjolras realized his mistake one second too late, and his arm dropped. "Cam, it's not-"

But Cam didn't stop to hear him out. With one arm up to protect her face, Cam stumbled to the door and wrenched it open with unnecessary force and sprinted from the building.

Crap, thought Enjolras.

-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx-

(3rd person POV)

Cam didn't lower her arm until she was positive Enjolras wasn't pursuing her. Even then, she kept on sprinting until she found herself at the entrance to the Café Musain. It was near midnight, but the Café was still open. Sprinting up the stairs, Cam was relieved to see Eponine reading in a corner there.

"Eponine! Eponine," Cam ran over to Eponine, who dropped her book and sat up. Eponine took it Cam's appearance. A look of shock and fear, and something else Eponine could only describe as betrayal- was carved on her face. Cam's hair was tangled up, and there were dark circles under her overly-wide eyes. Tears were running down her face.

"Cam, sweetie," Eponine automatically embrace the gamine, who started crying in Eponine's arms. Eponine knew from experience that it was best to let Cam do this at her own speed.

Breaking away from Eponine, Cam took a shaky breath and wiped her eyes.

"He tried to hit me Eponine," Cam said, and fresh tears stung her eyes.

Eponine's eyes widened with shock and confusion. "No, Cam there must be some misunderstanding. Enjolras would never hit you, honey."

"Then how do you explain the fact when I woke up at midnight his fist was raised over me?" Cam screamed angrily, then buried her face in her hands. Crying gently, she apologized to Eponine, who forced Cam to sit back down next to her, as she had stood up when she began talking. Wrapping her arm around Cam's shoulders in an older-sisterly fashion, Eponine tried to comfort Cam the best she could.

"He promised," Cam said in a scratchy whisper, and the longing and hurt in her voice nearly brought tears to Eponine's eyes.

"Cam, can you please tell me what happened?" Eponine asked, rubbing Cam's arm.

Taking a rickety breath, Cam said, "I was sleeping and I woke up, and Enjolras was standing over me, and his hand was raised in a fist."

Eponine frowned with confusion; did this really happen? Or was Cam exaggerating? She found it highly unlikely Cam was lying or otherwise.

Seemingly for an eternity, Eponine hugged the broken girl close and simply sat there with her, until she fell asleep. It was then her phone buzzed.

_**Enjolras: **__Have you seen Cam? _

_**Eponine:**_ _Yes, and you have a hell of explaining to do. You've scared the poor girl out of her mind. _

_**Enjolras: **__(non K+ word here). This is a mistake, she thinks I was going to hit her. You know I would never do that, 'Ponine, please have her hear me out. _

_**Eponine: **__It's too late. It doesn't matter what you say, Cam has been hurt far too much in her short life to trust people twice. _

_**Enjolras: **__There's a first time for everything. _

_**Eponine: **__You don't understand. This girl has been beaten and abused too much to simply look over something like that, even if it was a mistake or misunderstanding. Don't get me wrong, I totally believe you would never lay a hand on Cam. But she never trusts one person twice. _

END

**SUSPENSE! This is the big change I was talking about, but there is a first time for everything! 3 updates in one day, you lucky ducks! Any ideas? I'm a bit low on inspiration, but this is a story of friendship, and that's how it'll end, so just keep that in mind if you share ideas. Please update, and thank you for reading! **


End file.
